Breaking the Chain of Other People’s Opinion
“8 But make Jesus, the Anointed One, your focus in life and ministry. For he came to earth as the descendant of David and rose from the dead, according to the revelation of the gospel that God has given me. 9 This is the reason I am persecuted and imprisoned by evildoers, enduring the suffering of these chains — but the Word of God can never be chained!” – 2 TIMOTHY 2:8-9 (TPT)
2022 is your year of breakthrough and we are chain breakers. But sometimes, we don’t break chains because we aren’t aware what the chains are.
One of those chains is man’s opinion.
Mind you, it could be other people’s opinions about you or your situation, or it could even be your opinion that’s contrary to God’s Word.
Every opinion needs to submit itself to the opinion of God. What He says about you is really who you are; THAT is the truth that you need to live in. God says we are victorious; we’re seated at His right hand. “Be with Me and believe that I’m with you!”
Someone’s opinion may have sent you down a wrong road; someone you love and trusted may have told you that you weren’t good enough or strong enough or smart enough to make it. Perhaps you gave more weight to those words than God’s Word which declares, “I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13)
Whose opinion are you going to believe? You have to choose.
You Are Not Able…Says Who?
A good example of this is in 1 Samuel 17; it’s the account of David and Goliath.
The Philistines had challenged the Israelites in war by putting forth the giant warrior Goliath to fight against Israel’s best warrior. The Israelites were afraid, but David – a youngster who went to the battle only to bring his older brothers some food – ended talking with King Saul.
See, David trusted God. So, when he asked people, “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?” word got to King Saul and he sent for David.
David volunteered to fight Goliath. But initially, King Saul gave David his opinion: “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are a youth, and he a man of war from his youth.”
At that point, David had a choice: Would he accept another person’s opinion or God’s?
God’s opinion is greater than man’s opinion!
David reminded himself of God’s faithfulness; he told king Saul about tending his father’s sheep and protecting them from a lion and a bear. Listen to David’s testimony:
“34 But David said to Saul, ‘Your servant used to keep his father’s sheep, and when a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock, 35 I went out after it and struck it, and delivered the lamb from its mouth; and when it arose against me, I caught it by its beard, and struck and killed it.
36 Your servant has killed both lion and bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God.’ 37 Moreover David said, ‘The Lord, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.’” – 1 SAMUEL 17:34-37
David chose God’s opinion over King Saul’s and in the end, the king changed HIS opinion and let David fight. Of course, you know the outcome of that battle and David won, giving glory to God in the process.
Sometimes, It’s Not Comfortable…
Rejecting man’s opinion is not always an easy thing, but it’s a necessary thing. The Apostle Paul had to do it with Jesus’ brother, the apostle Peter.
Earlier, God had already established that salvation was available to not only Jews (the circumcised), but non-Jews (Gentiles). Peter had accepted that, but then he let other people’s opinions sway him. Paul had to confront the hypocrisy…
“But when Peter came to Antioch, I had to oppose him to his face, for what he did was very wrong. 12 When he first arrived, he ate with the Gentile believers, who were not circumcised. But afterward, when some friends of James came, Peter wouldn’t eat with the Gentiles anymore. He was afraid of criticism from these people who insisted on the necessity of circumcision. 13 As a result, other Jewish believers followed Peter’s hypocrisy, and even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy.” – GALATIANS 2:11-13 (NLT)
Later in the chapter, Paul reasoned with Peter. Basically, he said, “You’ve been living like a Gentile; why are you trying to make Gentiles act like Jews, living under law instead of grace?”
This was not a comfortable situation. Remember, Peter was the brother of Jesus; he was a highly-respected apostle and the head of the church in Jerusalem! But Paul knew he had to take a stand, because God’s opinion was greater than man’s opinion. Know God’s opinion of you and who you are and never be moved from that revelation!
Romans 3:4 reminds us, “let God be true but every man a liar…” In other words, when you come up against the words of man verses the words of God and they differ, God’s Word is always the one you want to chose!
Click here for more messages in the Chain Breakers Sermon Series
Watch the entire Feb. 20, 2022 service on which this post was based: CLICK HERE!
